saline
Americanadjective
-
of, containing, or resembling common table salt; salty or saltlike.
a saline solution.
-
of or relating to a chemical salt, especially of sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc., as used as a cathartic.
-
of or relating to a method of abortion involving injection of hypertonic saline solution into the amniotic cavity during the second trimester.
noun
-
a sterile solution of sodium chloride used to dilute medications or for intravenous therapy.
-
salty water; a salty solution.
adjective
-
of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing common salt
a saline taste
-
med of or relating to a saline
-
of, concerned with, consisting of, or containing any chemical salt, esp a metallic salt resembling sodium chloride
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of saline
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English: “composed of salt,” from Latin salīnus “salty,” equivalent to sal “salt” + -īnus adjective suffix; see sal, -ine 1
Explanation
Saline is an adjective that means "salty." While "salty" is a perfectly good word to use when describing French fries or tears, saline tends to be a word you might hear in a more official setting, like in a hospital or in a geology class. If you watch a lot of hospital dramas on TV, you have definitely heard the exclamation, “Nurse, the patient needs an IV saline solution, stat!” because sick people in hospitals tend to get saline solutions to keep them hydrated. Saline mostly has a scientific meaning; it is not usually used to mean salty tasting. If you want to get really scientific, salt is actually called sodium chloride, but "sodium chloride pretzels" would probably not fly off the grocery store shelves.
Vocabulary lists containing saline
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The research team has already begun another investigation comparing different fluids used during hydrodissection, including saline and dextrose, a form of sugar.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
They placed the lenses over rabbit eyeballs immersed in a saline solution intended to mimic natural tears.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
She said the summer's heatwaves had been "tough", but they were hoping for a cooler, wetter autumn, with the reserve braced for flood events and "saline surges" with seasonal tides.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The techniques vary: either seeding rockets are burned to release a plume of particles, or the saline solution is sprayed directly into the cloud for greater precision.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
That they’d have to inject her with a saline solution to expel her baby’s remains.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
